Ramzy Baroud (Tripoli Post) writes of Iraqi children: I remember visiting a hospital that was
attached to Al-Mustansiriya University in Baghdad. The odour that filled
its corridors was not the stench of medicine, but rather the aroma of
death. At a time of oppressive siege, the hospital lacked even
basic aesthetic equipment and drugs. Children sat and stared at their
visitors. Some wailed in inconceivable pain. Parents teetered between
hope and the futility of hope, and at prayer times they duly prayed.A
young doctor gave a sweeping diagnosis: “No child that ever enters this
place ever leaves alive.” Being the young reporter I was at the time, I
diligently made a note of his words before asking more questions. I
didn’t quite grasp the finality of death.Several years later,
Iraq’s desolation continues. On August 16, 90 people were killed and
more were wounded in attacks across the country. Media sources reported
on the bloodbath (nearly 200 Iraqis were killed this month alone), but
without much context. Are we meant to believe that violence in Iraq has
transcended any level of reason? That Iraqis get blown up simply because
it is their fate to live in perpetual fear and misery?But the
dead, before they were killed, were people with names and faces. They
were fascinating individuals in their own right, deserving of life,
rights and dignity. Many are children, who knew nothing of Iraq’s
political disputes, invited by US wars and occupation and fomented by
those who feed on sectarianism.

AKnews reports a 14-year-old boy was shot dead in front of his home Monday night and that a 23-year-old police officer has been arrested. Alsumaria reports the PKK states today that they have killed 11 Turkish soldiers and 1 police officer on the Turkey-Iraq border. Yesterday AFP reported "at least 409 people" died in the month of Ramadan with another 975 left injured. Margaret Griffis (Antiwar.com) noted last night that the Antiwar.com count for July 21 to August 18th was 711 deaths with 1590 injured.

Today, Hayder al-Khoei (Guardian) looks at the propaganda/recruitment videos al Qaeda in Iraq groups are making: Another propaganda video, uploaded in mid-August, demonstrates just
how sophisticated the jihadi operations are. They have live-fire
training exercises in broad daylight and rehearse their attacks on
security targets. In one of their operations, they storm the city of
Haditha, in the Anbar province, in disguise and go from checkpoint to
checkpoint killing the security forces.The al-Qaida militants
wear interior ministry "Emergency Response" uniforms and casually drive
around the city in official Swat vehicles. The jihadists are heavily
armed, use night-vision goggles and sophisticated communications
equipment. Though the group is a mix of both Iraqi and foreign Arab
jihadists, the men who use the walkie-talkies speak in an Iraqi accent.
They understand, and copycat, the security "speech" in Iraq. The
al-Qaida militants are so well disguised as members of the Iraqi
security forces that at one point they even mistook each other for the
real deal. In a dramatic "friendly fire" incident, jihadists shouted at
each to stand down – not realising they were on the same side. Two of
them were killed.

Depending on the press outlet, Syria is either feeding fighters into Iraq or siphoning them off.
An estimated 15,000 refugees have arrived in Iraq due to the ongoing conflict in Syria. Reuters notes a UNHCR and Iraqi government refugee camp for Syrian refugees in Qaim and quotes refugee Ayad al-Ali stating, "The children do not get healthy nutrition, they eat adults' food, they are suffering from diarrhea." That camp, however, sounds like a Hilton Hotel when compared to the slum Rudaw reported on at the end of last week:

Iranian
Kurdish refugees residing in Waleed camp suffer from lack of services
such as drinking water, electricity and a medical center.

In addition, Iraq’s Ministry of Interior is pressuring them to leave.

Waleed
is located in Anbar province in the west, near the Syrian border. The
camp -- which accommodates 120 Palestinian families, 24 Kurdish families
and 19 Arab families from Ahwaz, Iran -- was established in June 2009.

For
the past three months, the Iraqi government has been using various
tactics to force the families to leave the camp, such as removing basic
services like electricity and water. However, residents of the camp have
been defying the government’s decision.

Nouri didn't even want to take in refugees. He was only shamed into doing it when he realized how much damage his statements that Iraq couldn't take in refugees was doing to his world image.

About Me

We do not open attachments. Stop e-mailing them. Threats and abusive e-mail are not covered by any privacy rule. This isn't to the reporters at a certain paper (keep 'em coming, they are funny). This is for the likes of failed comics who think they can threaten via e-mails and then whine, "E-mails are supposed to be private." E-mail threats will be turned over to the FBI and they will be noted here with the names and anything I feel like quoting.
This also applies to anyone writing to complain about a friend of mine. That's not why the public account exists.